


Unwilling Epiphanies

by Tabaticbloom



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Death Threats, Dipper gets a gun and bill goes off the shits, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Threats of Violence, Underage Drinking, alcohol use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:14:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25760425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tabaticbloom/pseuds/Tabaticbloom
Summary: What time was it?... There wasn’t even sunlight streaming through the camper window yet. Who the hell was calling at this hour of the night?He rolled over to face the clocks bleary red light, 3:21 am. Jesus Christ. The phone was still ringing, why hadn't they given up yet? He had his hours marked on every site as 9 am through 5 pm. Okay, whoever was calling probably had something important to say. This was the third time they had called as far as he could remember.He cleared his throat and grabbed his phone off of the dresser. Of course, he finally woke up when he read ‘Dipper’ on his screen and hit answer.
Relationships: Gideon Gleeful/Dipper Pines
Kudos: 7





	Unwilling Epiphanies

What time was it?... There wasn’t even sunlight streaming through the camper window yet. Who the hell was calling at this hour of the night?  
He rolled over to face the clocks bleary red light, 3:21 am. Jesus Christ. The phone was still ringing, why hadn't they given up yet? He had his hours marked on every site as 9 am through 5 pm. Okay, whoever was calling probably had something important to say. This was the third time they had called as far as he could remember.

He cleared his throat and grabbed his phone off of the dresser. Of course, he finally woke up when he read ‘Dipper’ on his screen and hit answer.

"Hello?”

His throat was scratchy, it showed when he spoke up. Okay, maybe he wasn’t entirely awake. He was awake just enough to deal with him. Dipper wouldn’t call him at this hour if it wasn’t important.

“Heyy, buddy. Could you do me an uh- a favor?”

Or if he was drunk. That was also a reason he’d call him at this hour.

Gideon rubbed at his forehead. What the hell did he need now? If it was money he’d be hanging up on him, as usual. Okay, it wasn’t nice to assume. He forced a smile so he’d at least sound polite for now even if he was starting to edge towards aggravation. 

“Sure, what's up?”

It took Dipper a few seconds to respond. Gideon could practically see him rubbing at the back of his neck and thinking of how to phrase whatever he needed, he hadn’t changed too much over the years.

“Well, I was... So I was at the bar by Greasy’s, y’know that one?”

Gideon gave him a quick ‘mhm’ rather than a proper reply.

“I got into a little tussle, nothing bad, just got into sumthin’ with some dude-”

He was already getting ready to hang up on him. If he needed bail money he could call Stan.

“-they uh, they threw me out. The usual. So I was headin’ back to the shack, gonna get some sleep-”

“You were driving home drunk.“

Gideon wasn’t having any of his bullshit at this hour. That happy tone was gone, replaced with the usual deadpan. He’d worked hard to develop that at a young age but now it’d become the norm.

“Aw come on man, I’m not that messed up! I was doing fine but-”

“Was?”

“Well um- You see its uh-”

“Spit it out.”

“The car broke down. I’m outside the thrift store, can you give me a ride?”

Gideon hung up, set his phone down, and laid back in bed.

Then he reached out and grabbed it again. Sure, Dipper was a little too dependent on the rest of them but he couldn’t leave him to walk the four miles back to the shack in the middle of the night.

“There you are, I thought you were gonna blackout on me!”

Gideon could pick out the desperation in his tone, he didn’t have anyone else to call, did he?

“Yeah, I'm getting up. Stay with the car so I can see you.”

“Well uh, I kinda’ already started walking.”

“Just- Stay where you are, go back to the thrift store so I can find you. What are you wearing?”

Dipper laughed.

“What’re you trying to get at?”

“I’m _trying_ to know who to look for. You don't exactly stand out in a crowd, Dipper.”

He’d dragged himself out of bed, phone held between his shoulder and ear as he went searching for a hairband to tie his up. He wouldn’t bother putting it up in the usual style if he was going right back to bed after this.

“I’ll be there soon, don’t run off anywhere, and don't get into any more fights.”

Gideon had already hung up for the second time before Dipper could respond. He wasn’t going to bother getting out of his pajamas. It was 3 in the morning anyway, no one would be out at this hour.

He stepped out of his room into the rest of the camper, only stopping before the door to glance at his father on the pull out bed.

"Daddy, I’m taking the Chrysler. I’ve got some business to attend to.”

Bud mumbled something in his sleep but Gideon had already walked to the door and taken the keys off the hook.

The ride into town was quiet aside from the faint rumbling of the cars engine and occasional owls. He hadn’t bothered turning on the radio, it’d distract him from keeping an eye out for Dipper. Knowing him, he might’ve started wandering again. He knew him a little too well, but how could he not? They had too many things in common to not start hitting it off the last few years.

He slammed on the breaks when the Chrysler's headlights picked up the rainbow hair threaded into Dipper’s jacket. Dipper was where he said he’d be, sitting down criss-cross on the sidewalk in front of the thrift store fiddling with his phone. He didn’t look up at the sound of the breaks or the driver's side door opening and closing.

“Dipper.”

His name caught his attention. Dipper looked up with a crooked smile, one hell of a bruise was already forming on the side of his jaw stretching up to under his right eye. ‘A _little_ tussle’ had been a lie. He stood up from the sidewalk and pulled him into a bear hug that had Gideon realizing just how much he reeked of cheap alcohol. It was probably a good thing that the El Diablo broke down.

“There you are, buddy! I thought you weren’t gonna show up.”

Gideon shoved him away with a cough. He was going to need to ferbreeze the Chrysler after he got Dipper home. How did he even get in the bar? He still had four years until he was legal.

“I told you I was on the way.”

Dipper shrugged, fanged grin still spread across his face. He always hunched over when they spoke. Gideon knew he was trying to be eye level with him to be polite but the action had infuriated him since he was a child.

He turned on his heels and started towards the car with Dipper in tow.

“Come on, lets get you back to the shack. _Some_ of us need their beauty sleep.”

Dipper chuckled as he rounded the car to get to the passenger side.

“You got like that from some extra sleep? I’ve gotta start taking notes.”

Gideon glared at him as they climbed into the still-running car.

“Sheesh, it was just a compliment. Don’t take it so personally.”

Gideon buckled himself in and motioned for Dipper to do the same. They were both safely in their seats once he was done mumbling something about there being no point to it when he drove as slow as he does. Gideon turned the car around and started down the road at the usual slow pace Dipper had been mumbling about. Sure, it was a small town and late at now, but _it was a small town and late at night_. Doing 100 mph down the road was bound to get Blubs called on them.

Dipper reached over and started to crank up the radio, but Gideon slapped his hand away before he could start blaring anything. He’d already blown out the speakers in the El Diablo, Gideon wasn’t going to let him do the same to his car.

“You’re such a buzzkill.”

He leaned back in the seat, reaching over to take up the entire center console and force Gideon's arm off of it. Gideon gave him a side-eyed glare but Dipper didn’t budge. As far as Dipper was concerned, he could deal with it. The car's clock blinked as it turned over to 4 am. He was going to have to delay tomorrow's show at this rate.

“What’re you- Could you _not_ -”

Dipper pulled his arm away from the console, Gideon was relieved until he popped the glove box open and started rooting through it.

“You got anything in here? Jerky? Gum?”

“So you don’t?”

Gideon sighed, aggravation showing through the noise. He had to hold back a bit of a chuckle. Something about it was funny, no one else would’ve dared to go looking through his things without his permission besides Dipper. Maybe that was why he didn’t just leave him in the dirt already. It was fun to have someone to challenge him.

“There’s jerky in the center console.”

Dipper hummed and reached in further, something had caught his eye. Gideon only realized what it was once the streetlights reflected off metal.

“Wooh, what’re you so worried about that you’ve got one of these in here?”

The grin on Dipper's face as he turned the pistol around in his grip to look it over was unsettling at best and downright scary at worst.

“Put that back right now.”

Gideon had gripped the steering wheel tighter, that line was full of venom but there was still a hint of fear showing through. He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. This wasn’t a good situation.

“Calm down, scaredy-cat. I know gun safety. It's a good piece!”

Gideon tried to chuckle, it sounded strained. When Dipper didn’t respond he started to get worried. He’d gone surprisingly silent given how much he’d been talking before now. Gideon needed to put an end to this. He slowed the car to a stop and pulled over to the curb.

“Tell me something, Gideon.”

His sudden change of tone had him shaking. Why was he so scared? It was just Dipper, he had to tell himself that before he turned to face him.

The feeling of cold metal against his forehead when he looked to him made Gideon change his mind about such.

“What are you afraid of?” 

His throat felt dry. Staring into those golden eyes was making him feel sick to his stomach but, he should’ve picked up on it before. Gideon couldn’t help telling himself that there were clear signs that something had changed when he picked Dipper up that he should've noticed. He shouldn’t have needed golden eyes and black claws to be the warning signs.  
Gideon opened his mouth to answer but he couldn’t bring himself to speak. ‘You’ would be too obvious of an answer, he knew how Bill worked too well to give him an obvious answer. He needed something deeper. 

“Come ON, kid. I know you’ve got *something* in that head of yours. Entertain me for a bit!”

Bill pressed the barrel of that gun harder against his forehead, forcing him to tilt his head back a bit to stop it from digging into his skin. He didn’t need to leave a mark. 

He hissed through bared fangs when Gideon stayed silent. Bill was getting impatient fast. 

“I- I don’t-”

Bill had opened his mouth to speak up again but, Gideon cut him off

“-Give me a minute!”

Gideon closed his eyes to stop the tears pricking at their edges. He expected a bang after that outburst, or to be stricken with the metal, but instead, Bill just chuckled and leaned away from him. The lack of metal against his forehead made him open his eyes.

When had the car started beeping? He wasn’t sure but, it wasn’t appreciating Bill's lack of a seat belt. He had leaned against the door, kicking Dipper’s left leg up onto the center console and resting that gun against his right. 

“It's not a difficult question.”

That was easy for Bill to say, he wasn’t the one trying to answer it. Gideon looked at his hands still gripping the steering wheel, his knuckles had turned white but he didn’t dare let go. He didn't trust himself to not lunge for the gun and get himself killed.

He ran that thought through his head again.

He didn’t want to get himself killed.

“I know what I’m afraid of.”

Bill perked up over the mumbled line. He pulled Dipper’s leg back into the seat and leaned towards Gideon. The weight of that gun resting against his head brought back his shivers. Gideon kept his eyes on the empty road ahead of them, it was better than having to look at the grin across his face. 

“Well? What is it?”

“I...”

He had the words right on the tip of his tongue. He just had to say them.

“I’m scared of dying.”

There was a moment of silence before Bill cracked up. He was _laughing_ at him. Gideon had given him his damn answer. 

“That’s it? That’s what you’re going to tell me? Everyone’s scared of dying, kid!” 

Bill pressed the metal harder against his temple. 

“Try harder.”

“I'm scared of what’ll happen if I die, okay?”

Gideon felt sick to his stomach. This wasn’t the way he wanted to deal with this, but spilling his guts at 4 am was how it would be. 

“I- I don’t want to die! The shop isn’t pulling in anything, daddy knows it isn’t, mom can’t work anymore!-”

He let go of the wheel, bringing both hands up to hide his face. He didn’t want Bill to see him right now. 

“-Everythings- It's all going to go under if I’m gone. I’ve been the breadwinner for _eight years_. What are they supposed to do without me?” 

The dead silence in the car froze him to the bone. Bill hadn’t responded to his question, instead leaving him to stew to whatever country song the radio was quietly playing at this hour.   
Gideon couldn’t bring himself to look at him. His face was firmly planted in his hands and he would be staying that way for as long as it was silent. Of course, that didn’t get to last very long. 

“Gideon?”

Dipper’s voice brought him out of his hands. Gideon lifted his head and turned to his friend, staring wide-eyed at him in the passenger seat. 

Dipper’s hands were shaking as he looked at the gun held against his forehead. He’d gone as white as a sheet. If Mabel were here she’d likely lighten the mood with a badly timed joke but, she wasn’t, so they were stuck in that tense silence until it finally clicked in Dipper’s head that he needed to _move_. He yanked the gun away from Gideon's head and shoved it into the glove box, slamming it shut as soon as it was out of his grip. That wasn’t safe but, neither was holding a gun to someone's head.

“Oh my god, oh my god” 

Dipper pulled his legs up into the seat and curled up, arms wrapped around himself with his head tucked into his knees. Gideon could hear him mumbling ‘ _I’m sorry _’ repeatedly under his breath but he wasn’t in the state of mind to explain that it wasn’t his fault.__

__He needed to get Dipper home. Neither of them were in a situation to move past this but, Gideon needed to do something. The more he distracted himself from it the better._ _

__Gideon reached around him to grab his seat belt buckle. If Dipper was buckled in then they could get moving._ _

__Dipper sat up the minute he reached over, grabbing him with both arms and pulling him in for the second hug of the night. Oh. Well, that was an awkward misunderstanding. Gideon wasn’t going to deny that they probably both needed it, though. He laid one hand on Dipper’s back and let him sit there._ _

__Gideon wasn’t sure how long they’d been sitting there. His leg had gone numb where it’d been pressed uncomfortably against the center console by the time Dipper pulled away from him. He scratched at the back of his neck and gave him somewhat of a smile._ _

__“Sorry about all that, man.”_ _

__Gideon didn’t respond. Instead, he snatched up Dippers buckle and yanked it over to click it in. The clock read 5 am now. The sunlight starting to peak over the horizon had already made them both aware of the time. Gideon was going to need _a lot_ of coffee before today’s show if he wanted to be nearly as enthusiastic as usual. _ _

__The ride was quiet. It could’ve been silent if it wasn’t for the radio and dirt road leading to the shack. Gideon never quite pulled into the parking lot. Dipper had noticed it years ago when he first got his license but never asked, he knew the reasoning behind the act. If Stan happened to be awake and see him pulling up he’d come out with the bat._ _

__Dipper unbuckled himself and pushed the car door open, Gideon had reached over and grabbed him by the arm before he could step out. It took him a few seconds to get the words out. His throat was still scratchy from earlier._ _

__“Don’t worry about it.”_ _

__At least that got a smile from Dipper. Gideon let him get out after that line, watching him walk away until he unlocked the front door and disappeared inside. He needed to go have a drink of his own after that._ _

**Author's Note:**

> This work was originally posted on the "Involvet-Triangulum" Tumblr and thus is formatted for such, more of my work can be found there.  
> This is my first time writing either of these characters so go a lil easy on me here.


End file.
